Three Days With Sensei
by WhovianLord245
Summary: The three days in which Naruto and Kakashi waited patiently for Karibi to awaken, and what exactly happened between them as she recovered.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

 **Three Days with Sensei**

 _Day One_

" _I hope you haven't been wasting away here."_

" _No. Not when I've got stupid Kakashi-sensei breathing down my back!"_

He couldn't say for sure what had woken him up early from his slumber. Naruto was one of the soundest sleepers in Konoha, and normally nothing could easily wake him. Yet, that night, as the moon shined with the stars in the night sky, his blue eyes suddenly fluttered open, silence greeting him from his dreams.

He sat up and rubbed the back of his head, smacking his lips in order to rid himself of the dryness that had settled in his mouth while he had slept. He blinked several times in order to clear the haziness of his vision before he sighed, looking around quietly. His blue eyes fell upon the cat sleeping at the end of his bed, a small smile stretching across his sleepy lips before he carefully peeled himself from his sheets and stood to his feet. A shiver racked through him as the bare soles of his feet planted securely to the wood floor of his bedroom.

"Man, I'm tired." With a loud yawn, the blond headed out of his room, flicking the light on and glancing around the empty living room. He sighed, trudging towards the kitchen in order to pour himself some milk and heat it up; it was something Karibi usually did, but seeing as she was still away on her mission, he had no choice but to do it himself.

After sticking his mug of milk into the microwave, Naruto sat at the kitchen table, propping his head up with his hand and shutting his eyes. His lips parted as his breathing began to steady, and for a moment, he had almost been lost in sleep until his head slipped and he jerked awake. Taking a moment to settle from the unexpected motion of his head, the genin leaned back in his seat and watched as the seconds ticked by on the timer of the microwave.

Hopping to his feet, Naruto smiled happily as the microwave beeped, signaling the end of the time. Carefully, he grabbed the mug by the handle before he sipped on the milk and let out a satisfied breath; warm milk was truly the best.

Without hesitation, the blond made his way towards the couch, leaving the kitchen light on. He plopped down on the cushion and leaned back, taking one more gulp before he looked around his quiet apartment.

It was always emptier without Karibi there. The emptiness had been something Naruto had grown accustomed to as a child, but when he began living with Karibi, he had suddenly forgotten what it was like to sit alone in the corner—he had forgotten the feeling of isolation and sorrow every time he walked through the door, only to be greeted by utter silence. Now, he had Karibi—and when Karibi was gone, he had Kushito waiting ever so patiently for his arrival. Now, the feeling of loneliness was a bit more foreign to the jinchuriki.

Now, he understood what it was like to have someone to call family.

Finishing his milk, the 12-year-old set the mug on the tea table, forgetting about it instantly as he rose to his feet. He began to make his way back to his room, feeling a bit drowsier and light-headed, but he paused as his eyes caught sight of Karibi's open room door. With a solemn expression, the young boy quietly padded his way to her room, creaking the door open and poking his head inside. The light of the moon and stars lit the room through the darkness, his gaze lingering on the dream-catcher that hung by the window; it's shadow cascaded down to the floor and stretched out through the room. With a bit more assertiveness that he normally had, Naruto ventured into his guardian's room and smiled, the familiar scent of her shampoo filling his nose. Without a second thought, he jumped into her made bed and flopped on to the mattress, rolling around her comforter and sheet before he burrowed himself underneath it all and let out a content sigh.

And there, he slept until morning came.

§

"Just make sure to keep an eye on him," was what Karibi had asked of Kakashi with a wave and a wink. And although she hadn't given him time to respond to her request, they had both known what his response was going to be; he rarely ever said no to her.

Sitting patiently on the rooftop of the apartment complex across the street, the jonin read through his book, sensing Naruto's chakra stirring as he began to awaken from his slumber. His one eye remained glued to his page as he read the paragraph he had left off on the night before. And as he nearly reached the climax of the story, he glanced across the way and watched as Naruto appeared from inside of his home, dressed and ready for the morning. With the same grin he always wore, the genin leaped off from the level of his apartment and landed on the ground safely before he headed down the road towards the usual spot he and the rest of Team Seven met at.

And once he disappeared around the corner, Kakashi stood to his feet and headed to the KIA stone.

These days, Kakashi was much better. To tell the truth, he hadn't had many nightmares since he had begun training and going on missions with the genin; just as the Hokage had thought, they were good for him. Even still, the man made sure to stop by the stone every morning in order to pay his respects to all of his lost loved ones—the people he vowed he would never forget. And although he always managed to lose track of time, and it caused him to arrive late to see his team, he didn't mind so much.

"...You'd be proud of him, Minato-sensei," Kakashi quietly muttered as he smiled softly from under his mask. "He's already grown so much since then. Karibi, as well."

 _I need you to do this job and do it well_.

It had all been thanks to his former sensei—him meeting Karibi. Had he not been given that mission, he wasn't sure where he would be now—where Karibi would be now. And although it had been hard and rocky and nearly impossible, they had overcome it all together; the saying, "everything happens for a reason" never seemed more true than in that moment.

"...I'll make sure nothing happens to them, sensei." Hand closing into a tight fist, Kakashi stared intently down at the man's name that was carved on to the black monument. "No matter what."

§

He had been in the middle of a mission with the genin when the Hokage's hawk had been soaring in circles above his head. At first, he hadn't been sure why his fearless leader had been calling for him, but as he thought more and more about it, an unsettling gurgle and bubble began to stir inside of the the jonin's gut. He tried to push aside his growing anxiety, but upon arriving to Sandaime's office, his suspicions had been proven right.

"I'm afraid Karibi has suffered severely from her last mission." Kakashi's one eye widened as the Hokage sat in his seat with the utmost composure, though the concern gleamed in his weary eyes. "It seems she was heavily poisoned."

"Where is she?" Kakashi didn't hesitate; he was going to get her.

Holding his hand up, the Third shook his head. "There's no need. Someone has already volunteered to retrieve her and bring her to the hospital. She should be arriving within the next thirty minutes." Kakashi tried not to seem as disturbed as he felt. "However, I have called you here for a different reason."

"Sandaime-sama?"

"I'm sure there's no need for me to ask this of you, but in Karibi's absence I would like you to keep a close eye on Naruto." Kakashi relaxed, nodding his head.

"Yes, sir."

"Although her condition is critical, I have no doubt in my mind she will overcome this. Karibi has been one of the strongest kunoichi of the village." Not only that, but she was quite stubborn when she wanted to be. "And I would hate for her to awaken to bad news about Naruto." He was sure if something happened to the blond boy, no one in the village would rest until Karibi settled it in her own way.

"Has anyone told Naruto about this?" Kakashi inquired hesitantly while the Hokage briefly grimaced.

"Not yet. News like this must be given to him properly." Naruto was rather fragile when it came to bad news about Karibi.

"...I'll do it." Hiruzen blinked, caught off guard by Kakashi's offer, and judging by the calmness in his eyes and the way his shoulders seemed relaxed, he truly had no issues conveying the news to Naruto.

"Are you sure?"

"I have no problem, sir," Kakashi assured before the Third nodded.

"Thank you. You are dismissed, for now."

§

"Naruto." Looking up from digging the large weed from the garden, said genin raised a brow while his sensei approached him with his hands in his pockets.

"Kakashi-sensei, where did you go?" Sakura asked curiously as she tucked some hair behind her ears and out of her face while Sasuke glanced up, though he continued working diligently. The jonin merely smiled at her before he turned to the blond.

"I have a job for you, Naruto." That made the blond's eyes sparkle.

"What, what, what?!" he asked hurriedly as he stumbled to his feet and began to trail after his teacher.

"Follow me. Sakura, Sasuke, keeping digging those weeds for Kurosaki-san."

"Hai!" Sakura quickly got back to work, though her sea-green eyes trailed after her teammate and sensei.

"...Sasuke-kun, what do you think they're doing?" Said genin looked up from his root, watching Naruto and Kakashi before he shrugged and looked back down to his work.

"Who knows. This just means less work for us," Sasuke simply stated as he tugged the weed out from the dry dirt, specks sputtering into the air. "He was making a bigger mess, anyways."

§

Trailing after the jonin, Naruto eyed the man suspiciously, Kakashi merely walking ahead until he was stopped in front of a red barn. "Go ahead," the 26-year-old said calmly, causing a shiver to run up Naruto's back; something was definitely off.

Hesitantly, the genin stepped through the threshold of the barn, glancing around at the stalls; each stall had a horse standing inside. "What're we doing, sensei?" Naruto asked innocently while Kakashi stepped up beside him, his feet picking up dust with each step he took.

"See that last stall to the left?" the silver-haired ninja asked while his student slowly nodded. "Go." Narrowing his eyes at the man, Naruto did as told, though he made sure to be cautious with his steps. Finally, as he stepped up to the stall, he blinked, finding a mare laying on a patch of hay while its foal stood beside her. He blinked, looking back at his sense—who was now standing right beside him.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"I want you to look after this horse's foal for a bit. Looks like she's unwell and Kurosaki-san is going to have a vet come look at her." Naruto frowned, looking at his sensei with a puzzled stare.

"How the heck am I supposed to take care of that thing?" Kakashi shrugged before he began to walk away.

"I'm sure you can figure it out. After all, if you want to become Hokage, you must learn how to cope with those who are going through traumatic and stressful events in their lives." Naruto scoffed, crossing his arms and watching as his teacher disappeared into the distance, leaving him with the baby horse. He stared at the animal, letting out a defeated sigh before he opened the stall door. It creaked loudly in the silence, causing the blond to cringe before he relaxed, catching the foal's attention.

"Uh...Hey...You...You wanna go outside for a little or some...thing?" Naruto waited, expecting the worst; kicking, charging, crying and whining even.

None of that came.

Instead, the brown baby horse slowly trotted out of the stall, waiting patiently for Naruto to guide him towards the fenced pen. The genin hesitantly took the lead, walking half a step in front of the animal while it followed after him. Once completely outside, the young boy and the young horse stood in the calmness of the moment, the foal lingering around Naruto.

"...What the hell am I supposed to do now?" the blond muttered with a pout as he watched the baby horse lean its head down and take a mouthful of hay. His gaze softened as the colt ate quietly, it's gaze seemingly stuck in the direction of its mother.

"You worried about your mom?" Naruto suddenly asked, as if he had forgotten that he was speaking to an animal. "...Kurosaki-san is bringing someone to look at her, so don't worry!" Although it was merely a horse, the air around the creature was heavy with despair and hopelessness; it was something that Naruto knew well.

With a huff, the foal continued to eat, stopping before it met Naruto's wide-eyed stare. They gazed at each other silently for a few moments before the genin grinned reassuringly. "Don't give up so easy, buddy! I'd be sad if Ribi-chan got sick too, but when you care about someone, you don't give up on them." That was what he had learned from his guardian.

Watching from a distance, Kakashi leaned back against the fence and let out a sigh. He smiled softly at the way Naruto continued to chatter at the foal before he ran circles around it in order to engage it, somehow. A light chuckle fell from his lips when the baby horse began to trot after Naruto, his head whipping back as it neighed excitedly. And as the playing continued, the jonin's expression dropped.

Karibi would be fine. She was stronger than poison. But the Hokage had said she had been _heavily_ poisoned. That, and she was not immortal. Any shinobi could die at any moment on a mission. The thought, alone, scared Kakashi to his core. Who he had become was greatly because of Karibi, and he dared not think about who he would become if she left him; the idea was not appealing, whatsoever.

And then there was Naruto.

It was easy to see just how much the boy cared about his guardian. After living with her and overcoming the obstacles in their path, they had grown close—they were _still_ growing closer. She was the only consistent figure in his life that kept him steady and that kept him from steering in the wrong path, and if something happened to her, there was no doubt that things would get dark and dangerous for Naruto. He was the kind of boy who felt so dearly and felt so wholly—he'd suffer greatly from losing someone like Karibi.

But Kakashi wasn't going to let that happen. No. At heart, Naruto was a good boy, and seeing a pure soul like his twist and bristle away would be tragic. He would make sure to carry on Minato and Kushina's name through Naruto and help keep him on the path he deserved. He would protect Karibi's heart by protecting Naruto; he wasn't going to lose anyone.

"Naruto." Looking up from the foal he was now petting, the blond smiled widely as Kakashi approached him, leisurely.

"Look, sensei! I did it! I haven't had any problems all day with this guy!" The wide grin made the 26-year-old want to forget about saying anything, but he knew it was time; Karibi had just arrived at the hospital.

"Job well done. Kurosaki-san said the vet is all finished. Looks like its mother is going to be just fine." A relieved breath blew from the boy's lips.

"That's good."

"...I've sent Sakura and Sasuke home already. There's something I'd like to tell you." Naruto blinked, confused by his sensei's strange behavior.

"Wh—What is it?"

"...It's about Karibi."

§

"Ribi-chan!" He had run all the way to the hospital. He hadn't stopped to look around or to take a breather. He merely continued sprinting, ignoring the burn in his calves and the ache of his lungs. Time seemed to feel disoriented for the boy as he made his way to the hospital. Although he was running as swiftly as his feet could carry him, he still felt as if he wasn't running fast enough. It was as if there was a hand holding the back of his orange jacket and keeping him from moving forward any faster. Yet everyone else seemed to be strolling slowly around him. Even as he entered the hospital in a fray, the nurses and doctors seemed to move at a much slower rate than him—at least, that was what it felt like. He could see lips moving as nurses directed him towards his guardian's room, but everything was slurred and morphed.

The only thing keeping him grounded was Kakashi.

The man followed after him as he ran into the hospital room, his blue eyes gleaming with fear, defeat and apprehension. He couldn't stop himself from staring as his caretaker laid on the hospital bed, an oxygen mask covering her mouth and an IV poked into her hand. His feet remained planted by the entrance, his mind and body frozen in time, itself. He couldn't seem to make out say anything, too many emotions consuming him in that very moment.

"R—Ribi-chan?" Kakashi said nothing, his gaze soft and sympathetic as he gazed down at the 12-year-old. His voice was weak and meager—unlike anything the jonin had ever heard from the boy before.

"...Breathe, Naruto." Said boy gasped, having not noticed the fact he was holding his breath to begin with. Kakashi frowned but said nothing else, giving the fragile blond a moment to digest everything that was happening.

Slowly, he began to take weak steps towards the bed, his eyes glued to Karibi. The woman was unconscious, her body limp and motionless and her skin as pale as snow; she was usually bursting with color and energy. The heart monitor beeped at a steady rate, though it didn't seem to calm the genin down. It was merely a reminder that she was stuck in the hospital, and that scared him even more.

"Sit." Kakashi pulled a chair over to the bedside, Naruto barely acknowledging his voice and doing as he was told. The jonin leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, watching closely as Naruto stared at Karibi's still face.

"...Ribi-chan?" he called out tenderly, hoping he would get some sort of reaction out of her; nothing happened.

"...Is she...Is she..." Naruto wasn't sure what to ask or what to say. He couldn't straighten his thoughts out long enough to create coherent sentences. The only thing he could do was stare at the woman as she continued to try and recover from whatever happened to her.

Never had she been this hurt before. Mission after mission, she returned unscathed, and in the beginning, Naruto was sure she was invincible. In his eyes, he saw Karibi almost as a shinobi idol. She was strong, smart, extremely skilled as a ninja—he was sure that there was nothing that could take her down. But seeing her lying helplessly in the hospital bed—it was disturbing. The whole scene didn't seem to fit the woman, and it made Naruto want to cringe. Because nothing was supposed to be able to take her down. She was supposed to be invincible. But, in reality, she wasn't. And it was more terrifying to Naruto; if someone like her could be defeated, then what did that mean for him?

"When you care about someone, you don't give up on them. Have I got that right?" Naruto's eyes widened as he slowly looked back, Kakashi now standing just a step behind his chair. The boy stared as his sensei shut his eye, letting his expression match his smile. "It's frustrating to sit and watch while someone suffers, but what Karibi needs from you is to be patient and to support her. Can you do that, Naruto?" Said blond suddenly felt his eyes burn. His vision slowly began to blur before he realized that he was tearing up. Holding tightly to his pride, the genin quickly looked away from his sensei and nodded, wiping away the threatening tears with the sleeve of his jacket.

"Ye—Yeah! Believe it! Who said I was gonna give up, anyways?" Kakashi relaxed, relieved that the boy was now at least able to speak without stuttering. His gaze slowly landed on his friend, his expression falling momentarily before he pulled up another chair and sat beside Naruto.

There, the two quietly sat and waited.

* * *

 **Hi there! For those of you who are reading this and have not read _Of All the Diamonds in the Rough_ , you may not quite understand what is going on! My apologies for that! This is a companion story to that, so if you're interested, then please feel free to go ahead and read that! If not, then I'm terribly sorry for wasting your time! **

**I thought of this randomly, just thinking what it would've been like for Naruto while he was waiting for Karibi to wake up, and then the idea of having more Kakashi and Naruto moments suddenly sounded appealing to me. So, my friend encouraged me to get the idea typed up, and, well, here we are! If there's anything that I can fix, please feel free to let me know! There are, in total, three chapters to this story, so it'll be short and to the point! If you have the time or feel like it, let me know your thoughts on this! Thank you for those of you who read this! I appreciate you doing so and I appreciate the support! Thank you :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

 _Day Two_

Standing with his arms crossed and a heated glare on his face, Naruto pouted to himself, Sakura and Sasuke stealing glances at their teammate every so often. A strange animosity was exuding from his entire being, and the young girl of the group was unsure of how to handle it. Normally, Naruto was so upbeat and cheerful—and if not that, then he was more sleepy than anything else. But that morning, there was no trace of exhaustion on his face nor was there even a ghost of a smile.

There was only the stale expression.

"Good morning." Looking up at the sound of their sensei's voice, the genin watched as the man hopped down from the rooftop he was perched on, landing ever so gracefully to his feet. "Are we all ready?" The three nodded, following after Kakashi as he led the pack. He didn't bother acknowledging the fact that Naruto was giving his back heated glares nor did he address the way the other genin seemed to notice the boy's strange behavior.

He was too tired for all of it.

With every ounce of resolve he had, the jonin focused on the missions that had been given to Team 7 by the Hokage. They were all miniscule tasks and things he could care less for, but the missions were the only decent distraction the man had, so he appreciated that. Still, as the morning went on, he couldn't help but lose himself in his thoughts and let distraction consume him, whole.

As the 26-year-old sat on a bench of a peaceful park, his genin worked diligently—collecting garbage and tossing it into the baskets that had been given to them by the park manager. The young girl took the lead in this mission, being much more efficient in cleaning, while the two other boys did their best to keep up the miscellaneous pieces of trash that littered the vibrant and fresh grass.

As Sakura reached for a rolled up piece of paper, she glanced up and frown, Naruto still glowering; he had been that way all morning. At first, the young girl had thought to mind her own business, but she was beginning to feel a heavy weight on her shoulders from her teammate's rage. Not only that, but it seemed that his fury was directed at their sensei, and she had no idea why. Even though she knew it was none of her concern, she was a rather curious kind of girl—the kind of girl that needed answers once she had a question in mind; she was nosy.

"Hey, Naruto?" Relaxing his face, said blond looked up at the pink haired girl with a raised brow.

"What is it?"

"Is...Is everything alright? You seem a little... _off_ today." A sheepish sort of smile spread across Naruto's face as he chuckled weakly, rubbing the back of his head with a hand.

"You noticed?"

"Hard not to when you've been pouting all morning, idiot." Naruto shot a glare at Sasuke, who continued on with picking up trash but wore a small smirk.

"Nobody asked you, bastard!" The Uchiha rolled his eyes but didn't bother replying, Sakura letting out a sigh before she took control of the conversation.

"Is something going on?" she asked while Naruto blinked, remembering that he was still upset with his sensei. His head turned to Kakashi—who sat quietly while gazing up at the sky—and he nearly growled under his breath.

"Kakashi-sensei's a pain in my ass. That's what!"

§

It was easy to tell that Kakashi had been itching to leave the second he could. His tone of voice was the same whenever he spoke to the genin and his body language was as it always was—lazy and relaxed, but it was the way he always seemed to be glancing up at the sun and the way he would lose himself deeply in his thoughts; if not that, it was the obvious fact that he hadn't pulled out his _Icha Icha_ once that day.

"Nice work today. We'll meet tomorrow morning—same time, same place." Sakura nodded as Sasuke merely turned to walk away. The girl yelled out for her crush, giving him a giddy goodbye before she looked to Naruto. She paused, noticing the way the blond stared down their sensei with a determined gleam in his eyes; Kakashi merely stared back, lazily.

"Naruto?" Turning his head away from the man for just a moment, the blond looked at Sakura innocently.

"Yeah?"

"What're you doing?"

"Nothing, just—" Looking back to where he'd been gazing seconds earlier, his eyes widened from astonishment; Kakashi was nowhere to be seen.

"What the hell?!" Sakura raised a brow, puzzled by the way the blond began to sprint down the dirt road.

"Sorry, Sakura! I'll explain later!" he hollered before disappearing, leaving the girl in his dusty wake. The young kunoichi's brows furrowed from confusion before she shook her head and began to make her way back home.

She wasn't sure she even wanted to know what was going through the rambunctious boy's head.

§

There were several reasons why Naruto was irritated with his sensei.

One—the jonin had forced Naruto to go home and rest when all he wanted to do was stay by Karibi's side until she awoke. He wanted to make sure the woman knew that he was waiting and that he was behaving while she recovered. He also wanted to show that he could be strong for both of them and be there to take care of her; maybe then, she would open up to him about her past. But with Kakashi sending him off, there was no way of knowing if he would be there to see her up first.

Second, while Kakashi was sending Naruto away, it seemed _he_ was staying behind and waiting at his guardian's side; the next morning before heading to meet with the rest of Team 7, he had stopped by Karibi's room only to find Kakashi sitting at her bedside. Although he should have been happy that someone was there to make sure nothing happened to her, all he could think about was the fact that his sensei was trying to steal his thunder—and he just couldn't stand that. After all, it was his job to take care of Karibi. Not Kakashi's.

And last, he was suspicious of the older man.

There was something about the way Kakashi seemed to look at his caretaker that was off-putting to the genin. He wasn't quite sure how to describe it, but Naruto was sure he didn't like it. Not only that, but it was the idea of Kakashi sitting at Karibi's bedside alone—no one watching him to make sure he didn't try anything strange to the unconscious woman; deep down, he trusted his sensei, but when it came to Karibi, the blond was discovering that he was rather protective of her. He recalled the time the redhead had told him that she and Kakashi were friends. He remembered how she smiled so fondly at the mention of the man, and he knew that she trusted his sensei without a doubt.

But that didn't mean he did or would.

Breathing heavily, Naruto burst through the door of Karibi's room, squeezing his eyes shut and bending over to catch his breath. He kept his balance by keeping his feet planted to the ground and his hands on his knees while his head hung low. And just as he popped one of his gleaming blue eyes open to check on his guardian, the sound of a low chuckle made his expression drop and anger simmer inside of him.

"Naruto. Glad to see you're back to check on Karibi."

"Kakashi-sensei!"

He had arrived several minutes ahead of the genin. Within seconds, he had "poofed" himself right beside Karibi's bedside and took a seat in the chair he had left that morning. Although he knew that Naruto was bitter about him carrying him back to his house the night before—the young boy feeling more embarrassed than anything due to the fact that his sensei had carried him on his back—the thought barely registered in his mind.

Karibi was still unconscious. He had been warned by Hana that the woman would probably remain that way for a few days. He had hoped she would surprised everyone like she always did and open her eyes that morning, but by the time he had ushered Naruto out of the room and had left, himself, she was still out cold and her condition had yet to improve. Sure, it hadn't been a shock to the medic nin nor the nurses and doctors, but the jonin had been hopeful in his friend's swift recovery.

"What're you doing here again, sensei?!" Naruto exclaimed, the jonin rolling his visible eye while scolding the child.

"Keep it down." Immediately, the blond quieted down, glancing at Karibi with a guilty gleam in his eyes.

"S—Sorry." He wanted to lash out at the older ninja, but he didn't want to be inconsiderate, so the boy held his tongue and plopped down in the seat next to Kakashi's—pouting.

The two sat in silence for half-an-hour, Kakashi gazing steadily at the recovering woman's face while Naruto snuck narrow-eyed glances at him. The quietness was tense and thick, and the longer the boy sat in it, the more uncomfortable he became—whereas his sensei seemed completely unfazed by it; that only seemed to irritated the boy more.

"Is there something you'd like to say?" Naruto stiffened as Kakashi spoke, looking over at him expectantly.

"Uh—Well—Yeah! There is!" Hopping out of his chair, the boy pointed accusingly at his teacher, the man blinking innocently.

"What is it?"

"Since when have you and Ribi-chan been such good friends? Huh? 'Cause she's never mentioned you before! And you never said anything either, and then all of a sudden you guys know each other and are buddy-buddy!" Naruto watched for his sensei's reaction closely, the 26-year-old gazing thoughtfully at him.

Just as he had thought, Naruto knew very little of Karibi's past—including him. And although he hadn't said anything to the boy when he first joined Team 7, he hadn't had any specific reason to. But as it seemed now, the genin was gaining more questions than answers—answers that only Karibi could truly give him by explaining herself and her life. Yet, the woman who could tell Naruto who Kakashi was to her was laid out, soundlessly.

It was hard for Kakashi to explain when he, himself, wasn't quite exactly sure how to explain their relationship.

Letting out a deep breath, the jonin forced himself to smile—though it was unseen by Naruto. He watched patiently as Naruto relaxed, his body slackening and the suspicious expression on his face shifting into a calmer look. "Karibi and I have been good friends for quite some time," he stated evenly. "Since we were kids." Naruto blinked with a curious and wide-eyed stare before he took a seat back in his chair and adjusted his position.

"You guys have known each other _that_ long?" Kakashi smiled softly, glancing over at the unconscious woman and nodding his head.

"That's right. 14 years, now." They had been through quite a bit.

There was a wondrous look on Naruto's face as he lost himself in all the possibilities of what Karibi and Kakashi had been like as children. Perhaps she had been stoic and cold and he had been excitable and energetic. Or maybe she had been more upbeat and he had been just as mellow as he was now; the possibilities were never-ending.

"...Can I ask you another thing?" Kakashi nodded, turning his attention back to his apprehensive student.

"What is it?"

A sheepish expression washed over Naruto as he stubbornly sat quietly. He pursed his lips while averting his eyes to the tiled floor before meeting the jonin's curious gaze. The man could tell that there was something on the edge of the boy's tongue—something that he was too bashful to say. But with one encouraging look from his sensei, the blond found his confidence building.

"...What was...What was Ribi-chan like as a kid?" Kakashi blinked, staring at Naruto's blushing cheeks. He chuckled before looking back at his friend, reaching out and placing a hand on hers.

"Karibi was something else. She was the kind of kid that brought happiness in a dreary day just by a single smile. And there was always this look in her eyes—every time she was up to something." Naruto slowly began to grin, imagining his guardian as a child. "Not only that, but she was strong. She had always been strong—even as a genin. She could pull off jutsu that some jonin had difficulties completing."

"Wow! That's amazing! Tell me more!" Naruto leaned forward in his seat, grinning at Kakashi while the masked ninja smiled back.

"...Sure."

§

He had fallen fast asleep. Although the sun was just setting behind the horizon, the boy was now lost deep in his slumber. His legs were hanging over one arm of the chair while his head hung back over the other. One arm was draped over his eyes while the other arm was cradled in his lap; all the while, his mouth hung open and a long train of drool dribbled down his chin.

Standing over the child, Kakashi watched with his hands on his hips and a knowing look on his face. He looked over to Karibi and sighed, turning towards the woman and placing a gentle hand on her forehead. "...You should open up to him more," he quietly said while the woman remained as she was. "I know you're afraid of what he might say or how he will react, but he only admires you and wants to become like you." The man smiled down at his friend before he turned to Naruto, scooping the sleeping boy into his arms with ease and flipping him on to his back.

"Let's get you home."

§

Laying the genin down on his bed, Kakashi carefully pulled his sandals off, making sure not to disturb him. He tossed them aside before unzipping the boy's jacket and pulling it off of him, slowly. Once it was removed, he folded it and set it on his messy desk, narrowing his eyes at the way the boy left empty packets of ramen and plates and cups scattered around.

"What a mess." Turning back to the boy, he gently pulled the covers over his limp figure, chuckling when he smacked his lips, rolled over on to his side and let out a loud and scratchy snore.

"...Goodnight." With that, Kakashi walked out, softly shutting the door as he went.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

 _Day Three_

68 hours had passed, and within that time, Kakashi hadn't slept at all.

He should've known better than to stay up for so long, especially when there was no dire reason for it, but he couldn't help himself; sitting at Karibi's bedside was all he wanted to truly do. Although he was normally rather patient, waiting for his friend to awaken had made him realize just how quickly his patience could wear down. The silence was deafening, to the point where even the slightest sound or the soft beeping of the woman's heart monitor made him stiffen and tense.

Watching the sun rise, Kakashi sighed, the sky melting into orange and pink and yellow. He did his best to force himself to gaze out the window, knowing that he couldn't merely stare at Karibi the entire time he was at her side. It took every ounce of will power to keep his gaze on the rising star, but he was proud he had been able to accomplish that much.

Her condition was the same as ever. Although her heart rate had returned to its normal pace, Hana had explained that there had been no changes in the woman's brain activity. For now, all she could do was make sure the poison was being flushed properly out of her system and that the woman was left undisturbed while she tried to recover. She could easily tell that the news had not been what the young man had wanted to hear, but the truth was all she could give him, and it seemed that he appreciated it, nonetheless.

"...This is so much like you," Kakashi quietly said to the silence. "Always keeping me waiting." He smiled at the thought before he glanced to the door, waiting for the outburst to come.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Listening as the door burst open, Kakashi merely sighed while Naruto huffed and puffed. He could feel the boy's bitter and heated glare on his back, but he didn't budge.

"Good morning, Naruto."

"Don't sound so relaxed!" the boy yelled as he slammed the door shut and stomped up to his sensei.

"You took me home yesterday!"

"You're welcome."

" _No_! I wanted to stay with Ribi-chan! What if she woke up while I was gone?!" Kakashi let out an exasperated breath, turning to give the genin a vexed look; he was running out of patience.

"As you can see, she's just the same as she was yesterday before you fell asleep." Naruto blinked, caught off guard the by the edginess in his sensei's voice. And then, his blue eyes finally soaked in the man's appearance.

Although his hair was always left alone, it was more disheveled looking—strands sticking out here and there. Most of his face was covered by his hitai-ate and his mask, but from what Naruto could see, his skin was much paler than normal. And the bags under his visible eye seemed to make him look even paler than he truly was; staring at Kakashi in the shape he was in was almost a bit disconcerting to the boy.

Awwardly, Naruto began to kick at the specks of dust on the floor, causing a brow to raise on Kakashi's face. He watched idly as the boy let out a quiet breath before looking up with his brows furrowed inward. "...Hey, sensei?"

"What is it?"

"I mean...I'm actually glad that Ribi-chan has a friend like you, but..." His cheeks began to glow red as an irked expression appeared on his face. "Waiting here all by yourself—you're gonna pass out! And then no one's gonna know when she wakes up!" Kakashi blinked, having not expected that from his student. "Which is why you should just leave me so we can take turns waiting for Ribi-chan or something!" The jonin's gaze softened before he relaxed in his seat, his shoulders slumping and a breath slipping from his lips.

"I didn't realize you could be so thoughtful." Naruto pouted. "But as much as I appreciate it, I think it would be wise for you to rest and make sure to take care of yourself. She may not show it often, but Karibi fusses quite a bit over you." The boy couldn't help himself; a wide grin spread across his face.

"...Well, when you put it like that..." Kakashi blinked, Naruto giggling before he tossed an unopened cup of ramen to the jonin. He caught it gracefully, glancing briefly down at it before he looked back up at the child. The boy wore a wily grin. "Since it's Kakashi-sensei, I guess I don't mind if you stay close to Ribi-chan. Just don't try anything funny!" The jonin was unsure of what exactly his student had been expecting from him.

"Ah, well, I suppose I'm thankful for your approval?" Some day, Kakashi would say that and truly mean it.

Naruto chortled before he turned to leave the room. He paused, looking back at his caretaker with a softness to his face. "...Get better soon, Ribi-chan." And with that, he was gone.

Left in the aftermath of everything that was Naruto, Kakashi was left to the stillness of the moment. He blinked before he slowly looked down to the ramen cup in his hands. He smiled slightly before turning to look at Karibi. "What a weird kid."

§

"Kakashi-sensei's _r_ _eally_ late today." Sakura frowned deeply as Sasuke let out an irritated sigh. He leaned back against the railing of the red bridge they were standing on, Naruto staring aimlessly up at the blue sky and the fluffy white clouds that littered the air. His teammates glanced over at him, expecting loud complaints from him, but as he continued to stand silently, he surprised them.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Huh? Why wouldn't I be?" Sakura gave him a suspicious look before she shrugged.

"Well...by now, you'd be yelling about Kakashi-sensei being late." Naruto smiled widely, almost _too_ happily, chuckling as he locked his hands behind his head.

"Ah, well, maybe today he's actually doing something important!" And to Naruto, he was.

Before Sakura could reply with a confused rebuttal, a sudden poof caught their attention. Looking to their left, they watched as their jonin-teacher appeared, a bright expression on what they could see of his face.

"Sorry, I'm late."

"Sensei!" Sakura whined as she glared at the man. "You're later than usual." The jonin chuckled weakly, rubbed the back of his forehead protector against his head.

"Well, as it turns out, you three are mission-free for the day." That surprised the genin.

"Why?" Sasuke asked with a curious look upon his face.

"There's something that I need to do. I know it's short notice, but I'm sure you are all capable enough of finding something to fill your free time with today." Kakashi continued smiling, a strange spark lighting inside of Naruto. "So, until tomorrow morning, you are all dismissed."

"A—Alright." Sakura watched as their sensei turned to leave, his gaze lingering on Naruto for a second longer before he disappeared once more in a cloud of smoke. She pursed her lips, crossing her arms over her chest before she jumped, Naruto letting out an excited yelp.

"Yahoo!"

"What're you so excited about, idiot?" Sasuke asked with an annoyed gaze; the sudden outburst from his teammate had made his head ache.

"Nothing, Sasuke-jerk!" With a wide grin, the genin began to run off towards the village, leaving his teammates behind. "I'll see you guys tomorrow!"

Sakura and Sasuke exchanged quick looks before they gazed after the blond, who didn't bother sparing them a look. The black haired genin shrugged before he began to walk away, Sakura blinking and snapping out of her confusion. "Sasuke-kun! Where are you going?"

"Might as well eat since it's early," he stated evenly, not bothering to wait. Sakura's eyes widened before she scurried after her teammate. She smiled happily with a light flush of pink across her cheeks, falling into step with Sasuke. She ignored the way her heart slammed against her chest, the young boy glancing at her before his eyes fell on to the path ahead.

"I'll come with you!"

"...Whatever."

§

"She's been stirring a bit, and it looks like she beginning to slowly regain consciousness."

"That's good to hear."

"At this rate, I'm sure she'll be up in no time. Of course, she won't be able to move much. We've been able to flush out some of the poison, but not enough to say that she's going to have full control over her body. Most likely, she'll be paralyzed in her legs for a bit."

"Will she—"

"Feeling should return to her fully within the next several days." Kakashi nodded, relieved by Hana's news. He glanced towards Karibi's still figure, a small smile appearing from under his mask.

He hated hospitals. They reeked of death and age, and their air was always musty and thick. Not only that, but being stuck within the same, four walls of a hospital room was always suffocating and confining—making him feel like a rat trapped in a box. But even if that was how he felt, Kakashi had ignored every instinct telling him to get out and stayed by his friend's side. And as it turned out, it had all been worth it; she was finally beginning to come back to reality.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Looking over his shoulder, the jonin watched as his student came sprinting down the hallways, skidding to a stop and nearly stumbling over his own, clumsy feet. "Is Ribi-chan awake yet?"

"Ah, Naruto-kun! You've come just in time. I was just telling Kakashi that she's beginning to stir." The boy grinned at the good news, throwing a fist into the air and jumping from excitement.

"Hooray! Finally!" Hana smiled softly at the jinchuriki, her heart swelling at the grin on his face. She glanced towards her former teammate and sighed; it seemed Naruto and Karibi had changed in great ways.

"Well, if there are any other changes, I will be sure to let the two of you know."

"Thank you for this, Inuzuka-san." Hana chuckled as she placed a friendly hand on the man's shoulder.

"Hana's fine, after all this time. Don't you think?" Kakashi chuckled and nodded, quickly noticing the way Naruto narrowed his eyes at the hand on his shoulder.

Watching the medic walk away, Kakashi turned to his friend and gazed quietly. He could see the color returning to her face, and her heartbeat was now at a steady and regular pace. His eye widened at the sudden twitch in her finger as she laid limply, causing a smile to stretch across his face; she would be up in no time.

"Why don't we go and get ramen." Naruto was broken from his thoughts, the suggestion immediately causing his stomach to growl.

"But what about—"

"For Karibi's sake, I think it would be best if we didn't lock ourselves in this room all day. She would probably scold us for it, don't you think?" Naruto thought for a moment before he smiled and nodded, gazing up at his sensei with gleaming eyes.

"You're buying, right, sensei?" With a light chuckle, Kakashi nodded, placing a hand on the top of the boy's head and giving his blond hair a tussle.

"Sure."

The two walked out of the room, quietly shutting the door as they went. The sound of the footsteps bounced off the walls as they strolled casually towards the stairway. Naruto locked his hands behind his head as he began to ramble on about all the things that he would catch Karibi up on while Kakashi merely listened, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his pants. And as the genin beamed up at his sensei, Kakashi felt a strange warmth settling in his chest.

It wouldn't be until later that he'd realize it was the feeling of happiness blooming within him.

* * *

 **So, there's that! The end of my little idea I had. It was pretty much a story consisting of Kakashi and Naruto, but I thought it would be fun to write! I always wanted to see a bit more bonding between the two of them, so being able to write these moments has been a treat for me! Whoever is reading this, I hope you enjoyed! And for those of you who are reading this and aren't quite sure what's going on, like I mentioned in the first chapter of this, this story is a companion story to _Of All the Diamonds in the Rough_ that I posted! If interested, please feel free to read! If not, no big deal :D **

**Thank you to whoever read this! I hope you enjoyed this, and I hope that everything was to your liking! If not, please let me know what I could have done better with so I can straighten out what I did right and wrong!**

 **Thanks again!**


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